Temperature Control: Affordable, Real-time Data Recorders Finally Available

By Bryan Smith

There are many reasons why controlling the storage environment during food transportation is important, not the least of which is that you don’t want to make people sick. Proper storage of food reduces waste, extends shelf life, and retains food quality. But the history of logistics in the food industry shows that the desire to monitor the conditions of the equipment has always been an operational and financial challenge.

The industry began first attempting to monitor the temperature of their supply chain by using a sticker that reacted chemically to a change in temperature. If at any time during the food’s journey the temperature went above the threshold limit, the colour of the sticker would change. But this only provided a pass/fail result at the end destination; the available information did not tell enough of the story to be highly useful in the world of food safety.